Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Aston Villa Fans as Cherries are Popped and Delph Stays Loyal

You can only beat what is in front of you and Villa did the job of disposing of a Bournemouth team who rested eight players to concentrate on their promotion push (wussies). As soon as the teams were announced it was time to lump on a Villa win, but also ponder just what exactly was happening with Fabian Delph, who wasn’t even on the bench.

Conspiracy theories started to whirl into action about the future of the Villa midfielder, only for them to be blown away 50 minutes later when Villa revealed that Delph was staying at Villa for the long-haul after signing a new contract.

Is today a turning point in Villa’s fortunes? It remains to be seen, but in the meantime, in the short-term at least, here’s five reasons to be cheerful as Aston Villa fans…

1. Finally

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal x2

2. Delph signing

When Villa announced they were making a big player announcement, there was a sense of impending anticlimax. A new contract for Ron ‘Sicknote’ Vlaar? The news we were signing Tom Cleverley for good? Luckily, it was better than that. Securing the services of Fabian Delph for any four-and-a-half years is good news on many levels.

Firstly, Delph’s best years are still ahead of him, so we won’t miss out on him at the peak of his power. He hasn’t really lived up to his full potential yet and hopefully we’ll see what he can really do now. Secondly, Villa have secured up the finances of Delph – no selling him off cheap (after a big investment in him, covering two long-term injuries) and also not seeing him leave on a freebie. There was no egg on the faces of Villa’s board for once.

Also, the press pack were made to look like a bunch of fools having not had one inkling Delph was signing a new contract today!

3. Mucho Gracias

Gil. What. A. Strike.

Thankfully the media and Villa fans won’t have to use all the normal cliches that are trotted out for La Liga players starting out in the Premier League. ‘He’s got to get up to speed’,’He needs time to settle in’ and ‘he’s got to get used to the physicality of the league’. With Carles Gil, there was no blah, blah, blah, just BOOM!

4. 5th Round Draw

After half of the Premier League including the top three nosedived out of the cup this weekend, a decent draw could have Villa thinking about a trip to Wembley. Of the teams left, I wouldn’t mind a home tie against Bradford to settle an old score. Any lower league team at home would be decent to be honest, if we wanted to get to the quarter-finals with minimum effort. After the pain we’ve suffered as fans in recent seasons, the easier the route to Wembley the better!

5. A rare day of positivity

It’s good not to be clutching for straws in this column for a change. Delph signs, Gil scores a magic strike, Weimann is back on track, Villa into the next round of the FA Cup and a decent day’s work for Ciaran Clark as Villa captain (he was vocal and encouraging his teammates throughout the game).

Tough challenges await, but it’s nice to have a fleeting moment of happiness for a change as an Aston Villa fan. UTV

8 COMMENTS

I honestly didn’t know what to think when we signed Gil, first thought was, why would Valencia sell him so cheaply, he was a product of their youth system, loaned out to Elche to cut his teeth, returned, played a few for his mother club, then sold, skeptical me!

I now eat all those thoughts and spit them out. I know we’ve only seen a glimse of him, but he’s got hunger, pace and commitment, add to that skill and a willingness to take defenders on, and that goal, wooooooosh,

A great addition to Villa in every way he’s brought a smile back on a lot of disgruntled supporter’s fizogs.

It’s now up to our coaches not to bog him down, the manager to play him to his strengths, and Manuel’s your uncle.

Just hoping we can pick up points in the league to safety, get on a cup run, then see a new owner step in and new management in place for next season.

Having only played less than 10 times for Valencia’s first 11 and scoring 5 in 64 for Elche on loan, I wasn’t expecting too much to be honest. So far, he looks good enough to have featured more at Valencia. At the moment, it’s thumbs up to the Villa scouting network.

clarke, okore sanchez gil hutton,, five reasons to be happy,,,,, despite cocos faffing about
to me yesterday showed we need to look at bacuna more,,, he is positive going forward and played his part in both goals, but he is a bit rusty and still has a lot to learn as the position on the right of mid is new to him, so he needs games and bringing on
i just hope lambert keeps him in mind,, it may be that the crab returns to the right for the upcoming games
against arsenal and chelsea, but long term bacuna to me offers more attacking threat which with our goalscoring record is really needed
but overall i felt despite the poor first half that we did ok, but we still have to get benteke service
and its great to see winegum scoring again

Delph has signed that is great news which considering how many fans where hating on him as a money grabber for the past 3 months I think it is great and I have to say Lambert has a way of keeping hold of his best players in a way O’Neill, Houllier and McLeish just seemed to lack. Just thinking of the Benteke rumors, Vlaar in summer and now Delph.

Gil looks one hell of a player cant wait to see him at his peak, he always wants the ball, can beat a man and score a decent goal too. Which considering he barely played for Valencia this season is amazing when you go back to that cliche that is used around players who have been played regularly in La Liga before comin over here.

After the Arsenal game earlier in the season I was certain Clark had no future here I still believed he was a decent player, but he didn’t seem able to play with the CB’s he was partnered with and I think I have worked out why, he needs to be the lead CB… Vlaar and Senderos always take that role due to there experience and so he struggles with them and gets caught out of position as he cannot fill in as the partner. With Baker there is no real lead CB as both try to be it, but Okore allows him to control the defensive line and it is bringing the best out of him. Or at least that is my theory.

Finally cant wait for the draw, I think it will either be Baggies or Bradford for obvious reasons and the cup likes a tasty fixture every round… I think also that every team remaining is beatable if we go into what ever game we have in a way we haven’t shown to often this season.

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My Old Man Said (MOMS) is an award-winning football blog & podcast. MOMS is also on the National Council of the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) and has been to Parliament, the Premier League offices and beyond in addressing supporter issues. UTV

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